Jack presser for knitting machines



Jan. 5, 1937. w. A. INGALLS JACK PRESSER FOR KNITTIVENG MACHINES File d May 12, 1934 TTORNEYS Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JACK PRESSER FOR KNITTING MACHINES Willis A. Ingalls, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application May 12, 1934, Serial No. 725,328

9 Claims. (01. 66-103) This invention relatesto improvements in jack pressers for knitting machines in which a multiplicity of jacks for closing the beards of needles are removably mounted on a revolvable carrier.

Jack pressers as usually constructed heretofore have comprised a circular carrier having the peripheral edge thereof provided with needlereceiving radial slots and which was rotatably mounted on a supporting plate or shoe. The jacks were substantially L-shaped in side elevation and were mounted on the carrier member with one leg thereof positioned in a respective slot, while the other leg of each jack extended radially across the upper surface of the carrier and had the free end thereon-provided with a laterally projecting member or shoulder. The jacks were simultaneously secured in position on the carrier by retaining member mounted over the jack carrier and which was provided with an annular groove or channel in the lower face thereof adapted to receive the jack shoulders therein.

This arrangement not only necessitated a structure having parts of relatively large proportion and weight but also resulted in a device wherein a considerable amount of time and labor was consumed during the re-arranging of the jacks when it was desired to change the stitch for reproducing a different pattern.

This latter difficulty or objection was primarily due to the fact that all of the jacks were released at one time so that when a predetermined jack was shifted about the carrier plate or entirely removed therefrom, adjacent jacks were often accidently misplaced or would fall from the carrier and would, therefore, have to be rearranged or replaced.

The main object of this improvement is to provide a jack presser wherein the jacks are releasably secured in position on the supporting member independently of each other.

Another object of the improvement resides in providing a jack presser wherein the jacks may be quickly and easily adjusted to alter the stitch as required by different patterns without disturbing other elements of the jack presser and without the use of tools.

A further object of this invention resides in providing a jack presser which is fully as eflicient in operation as the conventionally constructed jack presser and at the same time much more economical in construction.

In carrying out the above-mentioned objects, I have provided a carrier member which is relatively thin and light in construction and which has the peripheral edge thereof provided with the usual needle-receiving slots and through which a portion of the jacks extend.

The jack members are substantially U-shaped in side elevation adapted to astride the carrier member and each jack is provided with a detent adapted to frictionally engage the carrier member whereby the jacks are removably secured to the carrier member independently of each other. Furthermore, the jacks are mounted on the carrier member independently of any other element of the jack presser or retaining means for the carrier member so that each jack may be removed from or mounted upon the carrier member without releasing or affecting the remaining jacks or other elements of the jack presser.

Other objects and advantages pertaining to the construction of the device and to the form and relation of parts thereof will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a jack presser embodying the various features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken through one side of the jack-carrier member in the plane of a needle-receiving slot and illustrating a jack member in elevation and mounted in operative relation therewith.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating a modified form of a jack-carrier member.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of one of my novel jack members.

As illustrated in the drawing, the device comprises a supporting member I which is an elongated relatively thin plate having a pair of longitudinally spaced elongated slots 2 extending therethrough. One end of the support I is pr vided with a lateral projection or shoe 3 having the outer longitudinal edge thereof extending from the plane of the longitudinal center line of the slots 2 outwardly and at a slight angle thereto for engaging the needle beards in the conventional manner as the needles are moved from operative engagement with a sinker bur (not shown) into operative relation with the jack-carrier member as 4 of the jack presser.

A supporting stud 5 having an outwardly extending annular flange 6 is mounted in the slot 2 adjacent the part 3 with the flange 6 positioned adjacent the upper face of the support I.

The stud 5 is adjustably secured to the support I by means of a nut 1 screw threaded on the reduced lower end 5 of the stud 5 and washer 8 positioned intermediate the nut l and the lower face of the support I so as to clamp the member I between the flange 6 and washer 8.

The portion as 5" .of the stud 5 extending above the flange 6 is cylindrical in form and has rotatively mounted thereon the hereinbefore mentioned jack carrier 4. This member 4 is a relatively thin plate member circular in plan view and is provided with a central opening 9 adapted to receive the stud portion 5" therethrough. The outer peripheral edge of the jack carrier 4 is provided with a multiplicity of inwardly extending radial slots Ill depending in number and size upon the needles with which the carrier is adaptedv to operate. That is, the width of the slots is substantially equal to the width of the beards of the needles with which the carrier is adapted to be used while the number of. the slots is a given multiple of the number of needles so that the carrier 4 will be rotated by the needles a given number of revolutions for each revolution of the needle-supporting member.

The radial depth of the slots is! is somewhat greater than the radial width of the needles for receiving therein a portion of a jack member II. These jack members H are, in this instance, substantially U-shape in side elevation with the slot or space l2 between the arms 13 and 14 thereof substantially equal in width to the thickness of the jack carrier 4 so as to receive the marginal portion of the carrier adjacent the slots i therebetween with an easy sliding fit.

These jacks are substantially equal in width to the slots in so that the transverse portion as I of. the jacks will easily enter a respective slot. The longitudinal length of the transverse portion l5 of each jack is slightly less than the radial length of the slots In so that when the jacks are in their innermost position with the inner wall of the slots [2 abutting against the inner wall of the slots Ill, the outer vertical edge of the transverse portions i5 of the jacks will be spaced inwardly a relatively short distance from the outer end of the respective slot l8. This provides a relatively shallow recess at each slot having a jack associated therewith adapted to receive a suflicient portion of the corresponding needle therein to produce or maintain the rotation of the carrier 4 in synchronism with the needles while at the same time the beard of the needle will be engaged by the jack portion l5 and maintain it in its closed position.

In order that the jacks H may be frictionally maintained in position on the carrier 4 independently of each other, each jack and the carrier are provided with co-acting elements which, in this instance, consists of a circular V-shaped groove I! provided in the upper surface of the carrier intermediate the central opening 9 and the slots ID in concentric relation with said opening and slots.

Each of the jacks l5 have one arm thereof as [3 provided near the outer or free end thereof with an inwardly extending V-shape shoulder or detent 18 which is adapted when the jack is in its innermost or operative position to seat in the groove 1 l, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

One of the arms as l4 of each jack is somewhat narrower transversely of the jack than the other arm as I3 so that when the jack is being mounted on the jack carrier 4 or removed therefrom, said arm will readily spring sufficiently to permit the detent I8 to ride out of. the groove I! and slide over the adjacent surface of the carrier 4.

The carrier 4 is removably maintained on the stud 5 in contact with the upper face of the flange 6 by means of a retaining collar 20 which is removably secured to the portion 5" of the stud by means of a screw 2| or its equivalent. The lower or inner end of the collar 20 is provided with an outwardly extending annular flange portion 22 adapted to extend over the inner adjacent portion of the carrier 4 intermediate the stud portion 5 and the groove l1 and to engage said portion of the carrier for not only maintaining the carrier in operative position against the flange 6 but also to reinforce said carrier and maintain the same against vibratory motion which might otherwise occur as the jacks are engaged by the needles due to the relatively thin structure of. the carrier.

In order that the friction between the collar 20 and the carrier 4 may not be excessive, I have provided the flange member 22 with a plurality of, in this instance three, radially disposed contact blocks or members 22. These blocks 22 are arranged in uniform circumferentially spaced relation in the lower or outer face of the flange 22 for engaging the carrier 4.

The friction between the collar 2!] and carrier 4 may also be considerably reduced by applying a suitable lubricant and for this purpose I have provided the upper portion 5" of the stud 5 with an inwardly extending central bore or oil passage 23 having the inner end thereof provided with a lateral passage 23 connecting the passage 23 with the outer surface of the stud portion 5 adjacent the upper face of the carrier 4.

Any suitable means may be provided for mounting the jack presser on the knitting machine such as a shouldered post 25 indicated by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, adapted to extend through the outer positioned slot 2 in the support i and to which the support may be adjustably clamped by means of a nut 26 screw threaded on the upper end of the post.

In the structure shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of I the drawing, it is obvious that the jacks may be mounted on the carrier 4 in any desired sequential relation and that these jacks will be releasably maintained in operative position on the carrier by the frictional engagement of the detents 8 with the walls of the recess l'l. Further, it will be understood that any of the jacks may be rearranged on the carrier relative to the other jacks or removed from the carrier independently of the other jacks or without in any way necessitating the altering or re-arrangment of the other elements of the jack presser such as the retaining collar 20.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of a jack carrier which comprises a circular plate 30 similar in construction to the carrier 4 with the exception that the slots as 3| provided in the peripheral edge thereof are substantially longer radially than the slots l0 while the upper surface of the carrier is provided with a second circular groove or recess as 32 arranged concentrically with the groove at I! and internally thereof. The outer groove ll, Figure 4, functions in the same manner as the groove I! provided in the carrier 4 illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 for maintaining the jacks in their operative position with the outer vertical edge of the transverse portion l5 thereof positioned slightly inwardly of the outer end of the slots 3!.

The inner positioned groove 32 is so spaced from the outer positioned groove I! that when the jacks l I are moved inwardly, which action is permitted by the additional length of the slots 3|,

until the detent I 9 engages said groove 32, the jacks will be maintained in an inoperative position with the transverse portion l thereof located at the base portion of the slots 3| out of the path of travel of the knitting needles.

In this latter construction, it will be noted that in operation a jack will be provided in each slot 3| so that the jacks may be readily arranged in predetermined order for operating the needles as required to reproduce a given pattern by merely moving the jacks radially along the carrier from the operative or inoperative position to the opposite position and that the jacks will be maintained in one or the other of these positions by the engagement of the detent l8 with one or the other of the slots IT or 32.

Although I have shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown as various changes in the sizes and arrangement of the parts thereof may readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim:

1. A jack presser for knitting machines comprising a carrier plate having inwardly extending needle-receiving slots in the peripheral edge thereof, and a circular groove in one surface arranged concentrically with said slots, and a substantially U-shaped jack member mounted on the plate to extend into one of said slots with the plate extended intermediate the arms thereof, one of said arms having a detent adapted to be received in said groove for frictionally maintaining the jack in position on the carrier plate.

2. A jack presser for knitting machines comprising a carrier plate having inwardly extending needle-receiving slots in the peripheral edge thereof, and a pair of circular grooves arranged concentrically with each other and with the slots,

and a substantially U-shaped jack member mounted on the plate to extend into one of said slots, said jack having a detent in one arm thereof adapted to engage one or the other of said grooves for frictionally maintaining the jack in either the operative or inoperative position on the carrier plate.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a carrier element of a pressure jack having opposed members spaced apart for receiving a portion of the carrier element therebetween, one of said members being provided with a detent adapted to frictionally engage an adjacent portion of the carrier for removably securing said carrier and jack to each other.

4. A device of the class described comprising in combination a carrier element having a recess therein, a pressure jack having opposed members spaced apart for receiving a portion of the carrier element therebetween, one of said members being provided with a detent adapted to engage in said recess for removably securing said carrier and jack to each other.

5. A device of the class described comprising in combination a carrier element, a pressure jack having opposed arms arranged in spaced relation, and a detent connected with one of said arms to extend laterally therefrom toward the other arm for cooperating with said latter arm to releasably secure the jack to the carrier element.

6. A device of the class described comprising in combination a carrier element, a pressure jack having opposed members spaced apart for receiving a portion of the carrier element therebetween, one of said members and the carrier element being provided with co-acting detent and recess means for releasably maintaining the jack and carrier in fixed predetermined relation.

7. A jack presser or the like for a knitting machine comprising a support, a carrier plate having a plurality of substantially radially disposed slots in the peripheral edge portion thereof mounted on the support, a plurality of jack members, each slidably movable radially of the plate independently of the remaining jack members to bring them into and out of said slots and to and from the operative position therein, each of said jack members having individual retaining means co-acting with the carrier plate independently of the retaining means for the remaining jack members and of said support for permitting said sliding movement of the jack member relative to the plate and for releasably maintaining said jack member in the operative position in said slot.

8. A jack presser or the like for a knitting machine comprising a support, a carrier plate hav-- ing a plurality of substantially radially disposed slots in the peripheral edge portion thereof, a plurality of jack members each slidably movable radially of the plate independently of the remaining jack members to bring them into and out of said slots and to move the same from an outer operative position in the slots to an inner inoperative position, each of said jack members having individual retaining means co-acting with the carrier plate independently of the retaining means for the remaining jack members and of said support for permitting said sliding move ment of the jack member relative to the plate and for releasably maintaining said jack member in either the operative or the inoperative position.

9. In combination, a support, a carrier plate having a plurality of spaced slots extending inwardly from the marginal edge thereof, a plurality of jack members slidably movable in the slots longitudinally thereof and independently of each other to bring them into and out of the operative position, each of said jack members having individual retaining means slidably and. frictionally engaging the carrier plate under yielding pressure for releasably holding the jack in the operative position and permitting said jack to be moved to the inoperative position independently of the remaining jacks and the retaining means for said remaining jacks, and means engaging the carrier plate independently of the jacks and said retaining means for operatively connecting said plate to the support.

WILLIS A. INGALLS. 

